Wharton Stories: Entrepreneurship & Innovation

A large group of smiling people poses together at Venture Lab, with some individuals holding awards or plaques from the 2026 Startup Challenge.
“Creatives need a way to proactively protect their work. By protecting authors, we’re protecting innovation.” — Rishi Ambavanekar, ENG’29, W’29, 2026 Startup Challenge Grand Prize Winner

Top Winners at Venture Lab 2026 Startup Challenge

An aerial view of a wooden desk with someone's hands at a laptop alongside ear buds and other tech accessories.
“Wharton gives you an unusually safe environment to test things: classmates who will give real feedback, professors who will pressure-test your assumptions, and programs like VIP-X that simulate real investor scrutiny.” — Ojú Junaid, WG’26

Inside VIP-X Philadelphia: How Wharton MBA Founders Are Scaling Startups

Kristen Denzer, WG’26, (middle) in front of a Tierra Encantada location. (Image Credit: Robert Thesing)
“I’m leaving Wharton a stronger operator, leader, and decision maker thanks to what I learned here,” says Kristen Denzer, WG’26.

How Wharton Is Helping This Founder Scale and Lead a Childcare Brand

Students learning about the Penn Wharton Innovation Fund. (Image Credit: Venture Lab)
“Venture Lab has been the cornerstone of my entrepreneurial evolution. It’s where ideas get pressure-tested and pushed to a higher level,” says Madison Li, WG’26.

Entrepreneurship at Every Stage: How EMBA Students Engage With Venture Lab

A modern building with large glass windows and brick walls, featuring a sign that reads

The Path From Labs to the Marketplace

Venture Lab event attendees stand together in a row with award recipient Tory Burch at center.

Venture Lab Honors Entrepreneur and Penn Alumna Tory Burch

Four Ideathon participants huddle for discussion in front of an Ideathon an banner in the background.

The Baker Retailing Center 2025 Ideathon

Robert Kress, WG’24 visiting a U.S. Navy boat maintained by Anchor Innovation (Photo Credit: Chief Brian Sheffield, U.S. Navy)
“If I hadn’t gone to Wharton, I’d still be on the corporate climb and wouldn’t have discovered this knowledge, passion and confidence for entrepreneurship,” says Caroline Chapdelain, WG’22.

How these EMBA Students Became Entrepreneurs Through Business Acquisition

Portrait of Wharton MBA Student Derek Gibbs in Huntsman Hall.
The CourseCast system created by Derek Gibbs informs MBA students what classes, on average, they’re likely to receive from Wharton’s unique course scheduling system.

MBA student uses AI to perfect class selection process

A small group of people in a meeting, gathered around a table with laptops, charts, and documents labeled with terms like
“The ETA community at Wharton played an enormous role in helping me pivot my career, so I’m committed to paying it forward.” – Jason Nguyen WG25

From Venture Capital to Acquisition: One MBA Student’s Journey to Entrepreneurship at Wharton